Legacy of Kain: Equinox

by Kojiokida2

The fate of Nosgoth hangs in the balance. The Divus, furious over the destruction of their city, are sweeping Nosgoth clean of all life which could oppose them and the launching of the Ark into the ether of the universe. Kain must bring the races of Nosgoth together under one banner, restore the Pillars and finally achieve his true destiny.

22. You could have been my queen

Part 3

Chapter 21- "You could have been my queen."

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A small silence settled onto the group as everyone took in the simple truth and enormity of Umah's words. She had spoken directly to the mortal heart of the matter and there was conflict written on every face as each one of them wrestled with the implications of it all. Some looked angry, as if they wanted to discard the hypothetical and focus on their own problems but couldn't. Others looked grim as if resigned to the immense struggle that lay before them. Ajatar specifically was stone faced, brow furrowed in a rigid determined expression which displayed her desire to throw herself headlong into the fight against Divus tyranny regardless of any other considerations.

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"I knew not what, if anything, dwelt on worlds out there amongst the stars. These were hypothetical places so far away that nothing that could ever take place amongst them would ever matter here. My driving desire was to see Nosgoth saved, pure and whole, now and forever. The worlds out there would have to see to their own futures, their own balance. And yet…what sort of victory would it be for me if I simply allowed my troubles to fall upon others? My mind cast itself back to that fateful moment, so long ago, where I had been given the stark choice of either sacrificing myself to restore Nosgoth or persisting in a doomed world in hopes of a better future. I had chosen the latter. It had proven to be the correct decision then. How could I now contemplate sacrificing others, when I had not been prepared to sacrifice myself?"

-0-

Kain drew in a long slow breath to steady himself, shaking his head. He knew that more than likely they would have rejected an offer that in all likelihood was nothing more than a plot to confuse them but this made the situation they were in far more dire then any of them could have guessed. It meant that failure had severe consequences not just for this world but for all worlds.

Umah watched their reactions from her windowsill seat, her eyes flinty and cold like distant stars in the night sky.

"I am sure my father could give you more of a pragmatic perspective if he were here." She said, smiling slightly.

"I am sure he could." Kain remarked. He rolled one shoulder to let some caught hair fall properly down his back. "But your words ring with more wisdom than any selfish view promoted by our own needs and concerns." Everyone turned to look at him for this statement, as he went on. "After all, this creature is indeed our problem. What sort of neighbour would Nosgoth be to the community of the cosmos, if we simply allowed our garbage to wander?"

The joke broke the tension and a few smiles appeared within the group and postures all noticeably relaxed.

"Then you have made a decision, Lord Kain?" Ajatar asked and the eagerness in her voice, though suppressed, was evident. Her wings were also shivering in her trademark way whenever she got excited or upset, the raven feathers rustling.

"I have, though I suspect you knew I would." He remarked with a half smile, but then his tone turned more formal and hard. "I want the Serioli, Turelim and Rahabim fed, armed and ready to fight as soon as possible. This island's distant location and defensive position will make it hard for the enemy to strike here but not impossible. Until I give the order to march, the defence of the island is to be the top priority."

He did not add that this island might be a very good place to tie down an enemy force if they chose to lay siege to it, but he knew Ajatar had enough military experience to know that without him pointing it out. The grandmaster of the Serioli raised a talon to him.

"If I may, Lord Kain, the native Humans on the island have made it known to me that they too wish to fight." She said and Kain looked at her with surprise for this intelligence.

"Descendants of the breeding stock I sent alongside the Cabal into exile, I assume?" He asked. When he had sent Vorador and his followers into exile he had sent with them everything they needed to sustain themselves, not lavishly but enough to ensure that they would not starve.

"Yes. It would seem Vorador and his offspring, in order to conserve the supply of blood, entered into a symbiotic relationship with the Humans here. One that these men regard with some affection." Ajatar told him, surprising Kain all the more.

"Men regarding Vorador with affection…will wonders never cease?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head. Vorador was an example of a Vampire with one of the worst opinions about Humans, or at least he had been. Once, a long time ago, he had even taken pleasure in their torture and inflicting pain upon those he took captive within his pantry. The passing years had quenched such burning hatred somewhat but him having cultivated a relationship with any group of Humans at all was surprising. Though in truth, it was probably something he delegated to the Cabal underlings who would have a more pragmatic view on how to cultivate a Human livestock population.

"Can they fight?" He asked. Ajatar hesitated with a frown at the question, pausing to think on it before answering.

"As frontline troops, no." She said, "However they are skilled with bows, harpoons and spears. They would make excellent additional marksmen and reserves."

Kain took a moment to consider that. While he would prefer soldiers who could fight hand to hand with the Nemesis Legions of the Divus, any additional fighting force at the moment, even Humah, would be welcome.

"Very well then. Also make it known to them that…" He smiled sardonically. "...we appreciate the sacrifice of their blood offering to the cause."

Ajatar inclined her head.

"Yes my lord."

"Now…if you would supply me with refreshment, I need to regain some strength."

-0-

"There could be no turning back now. I was committed. There would be one final meeting with my enemy, one final clash to decide the fate of Nosgoth. No, not just Nosgoth, for as Umah so poignant argued this would determine the fate of the cosmos itself. The weight upon my shoulders almost crushed me into the ground. I was used to carrying the weight of the world upon them. But what was the weight of one world when compared with the universe?"

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Half an hour later, Kain was sitting in a small side chamber upon a piece of furniture which he had no doubt had been carved from collected driftwood. It was a prime example of Vorador and the cabal taking the cast offs of Nosgoth and recycling them into luxurious room was relatively small with a single window and a proper stone fireplace, a fire already crackling within casting an orange light and filling the room with its warmth.

Relaxing in that chair and suffused by warmth Kain took gentle sips of the scarlet blood which filled the glass he held between his talons. The long term storing of blood for later consumption was certainly not a new practice to him. His empire had had blood banks specialising in it, but the Serioli employed their elemental mastery to keep it fresh for far longer, providing just as much warmth and energy as it would had he sunk his fangs into the neck of a victim.

He sat there and stared into the flames, contemplating the road ahead with a grim expression idly rolling the glass about to make the blood within churn. He could afford to take until tomorrow morning to regain his strength and think things through, he felt. He was also fairly certain that after today there would be little chance to rest. The game was set and events were well and truly in motion.

Where Raziel had gotten to Kain couldn't imagine but he would have to let him fend for himself for the time being. There were far more important things to take care of. Their entire survival depended now on being able to engage that ancient Serioli forge and recreate the Pillars, the one thing that could shield Nosgoth from the effects of the oncoming Equinox and possibly defeat their enemy. Perhaps by now, Vorador would have made some progress toward that end if he had taken both the forge and its ignitor with him. No doubt he was studying the relics even right now.

The floating head of Moebius was, as usual, hovering nearby. The spirit of the former Time Streamer was turned away, gazing into the fire with his face set in a solemn expression. Kain had been deliberately ignoring him for some time and Moebius had kept quiet since their arrival in the castle. The silence dragged on for several minutes, broken only by the crackling of the flames. Then finally Moebius said;

"When I lived I could behold the streams of time itself and behold all that ever was or ever will be. I knew just where and when potential moments to alter the timeline were, if the proper paradox were to be introduced. And yet very little of what I behold in this time I recognise." He spoke slowly, as if speaking aloud his own internal monologue. "How much have I missed?"

Kain took another sip from the blood in his glass.

"You don't expect me to act as your guide to the modern world, do you?" He asked flatly without looking up.

"Modern world?" Moebius repeated, sounding surprised by the use of the term. "Sometimes I feel like I only have your word for it that this Nosgoth at all."

The Vampire curled his lip into a smile and regarded his enforced travelling companion over the rim of the glass.

"Please, do go on about how clueless you are. I'm finding it almost as refreshing as this blood." Then he frowned. "Though that does bring up a point." He angled the glass between his talons toward Moebius. "You were set to me so that you might make sure I brought your Master's message back to my side. Well now I have. So what further purpose do you have here?"

Moebius dropped into a long contemplative silence, where the green flames that made up his face creased in thought.

"None whatsoever. And yet, here I remain." He finally said, before strangely adding; "For this I am actually glad."

Kain, who had been sipping more blood, stopped in mid drink to give the former Time Guardian a hard stare.

"May one inquire as to why?" He asked, sounding confused. Neither of them enjoyed this enforced bonding where they were each stuck to the other, so to hear Moebius say this was highly bewildering. Moebius's head spun about slowly to look back at him and the deep expression of despair on the spirit's face was clear.

"Because it would mean returning back to the endless corridors of the deep ruins and the nightmare at its core. When you killed me in the depths of the Vampire citadel, my spirit awoke in the world of the dead." He said in a low voice. "Raziel was there to greet me. He showed me the true form of my master, a hideous vision I had never seen nor even imagined before. And after that…an eternity spent as the caretaker of a forgotten twilight with the beating heart of abomination."

The face of flames seemed to grimace. "Every time I gaze upon that thing in the centre of those ruins it makes a mockery of everything I ever thought I knew. Everything I ever felt just and right. Everything I ever thought good about myself." His eyes were filled with bitterness. "As confusing and new as everything here is, it is vastly preferable."

-0-

"This was the first time I had heard Moebius refer to that which he called his master as anything other than divine. To hear him refer to it as a 'thing' was startling to say the least."

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Kain kept frowning as he started at the spirit of the one enemy he had hated beyond all others, lips pursed.

"You wouldn't happen to simply be telling me what you know I want to hear from you, would you Moebius?" He asked in a highly suspicious tone of voice, as he was well aware of just who he was talking to. Moebius met his gaze with almost no energy in his stare, radiating a sense of utter defeat.

"Even if I were, what good would that do me?" He asked dismally."You're in no position to do anything for me, even if you were inclined to. You are committed to continuing this struggle and I am stuck with you until whatever end comes."

As the two of them stared at one another, Kain finally managed a sly smirk as his eyes glittered with malicious humour.

"I trust the immense, painful irony is not lost on either of us?" He asked and in response, Moebius finally managed a more charasticteric scowl in response.

"What irony would that be, Kain?" A soft femanine voice asked from behind him. Kain turned to look over at the doorway entrance to the room.

Standing there was Umah. She had taken some time to change her attire, adopting a form of blackened armour across her arms and legs, along with a leather cuirass fitted with plates on the shoulders and waist. Over her taloned hands and feet she had adopted gauntlets and greaves to fit the new less human anatomy, forged by Serioli hand if their excellent craftsmanship was anything to go by. Around her neck on a chain hung the Hylden artefact, the Nexus Stone.

Kain frowned at the sight of it, remembering all too well the first time he had laid eyes upon it when he had taken his fight to the Hylden General masquerading as the Sarafan Lord. Little had he known of the stones true importance then, how within it lay the screaming souls of every Hylden to every die along with the soul of any creature that might die within range of its effect. Ashar's machinations had ensured that within that stone were thousands, perhaps even millions, of souls. That knowledge made even looking at it a bit disconcerting.

"Merely thinking out loud to myself." He said, finishing his glass in one last drink and placing it to one side. "What brings you here?"

Umah stepped into the room properly, one hand on her hip and her head cocked, giving him a firm look.

"You know what." She said and her firm tone caught his attention at once. He met her gaze, seeing the steel in her look and his expression turned grim.

"Ah…it's time for the conversation." He remarked and stood up, a sense of dread falling over him for another unpleasant task he had all but forgotten about in the rush of all other important events.

"We've put it off for quite some time and with things as they are, we might not get another chance." Umah told him.

"Very true." Kain agreed, nodding. There was a pause, after which he added; "I admit when you first told me of your intent to reclaim what you had lost, I did not think you could do it."

At this, Umah let out a small chuckle, her dark lips set in an almost sad smile.

"Neither did I really, Kain." She said, "But I suppose it goes to show what one can do when they set themselves a goal." WIth slow steps she walked around his side, tucking her arms behind her back in an almost childlike manner.

"So what do you think of my new body then?" She asked, grinning at him. "So far you haven't made any comment!" Kain looked her up and down at the question.

In the light of the fire he could see the strange mingling of features which made her new body up. The base was very much still her as he remembered her from all those centuries ago, but she was taller, more toned and robust. The curving tattoos that once had adorned her face were now permanent marks, part of her skin itself. The talons on her hands and feet were long, elegant and perfectly extended the length of her arms and legs without any loss of proportion.

The Hylden crest, a gift from the merging of her soul with Ashar's no doubt, continued the curve of her skull with a graceful set of horn-like arches either side of her ears and across the hairline. It was a very familiar look. In fact, upon close inspection, her head adornments almost looked like a smaller version of his own although made up of different pieces coming together to form the image. Whether that was a coincidence or something more profound, he simply couldn't say.

Whatever the merging of so many features was meant to emulate, the result was a stunning finish. He had always considered her beautiful of course, even the first moment he had first met her. But now she seemed to positively glow with a radiant beauty that was more than skin deep. Her entire personality seemed to bubble and add to the allure of the whole grand design.

"What do YOU think of it?" He asked instead of saying that out loud, meeting her gaze. She looked down at herself then, head tilting the other way.

"It's been a challenge." She admitted and held out one hand, wiggling her talons about for emphasis.. "The different configuration of the feet and hands took some getting used to."

"It did for me when I attained them." Kain agreed, still smiling. Right now he was doing his best to ignore Moebius, who was watching the conservation unfold with a curious expression on his flame-ridden face.

Umah turned then to look at him, her face serious.

"With these new eyes of mine I have seen enough to know that it is true…you have changed." She said softly "You are not the same arrogant power hungry man who took my life all those years ago." But then added in her usual teasing way. "Though it took you far longer to get to this stage than perhaps it ought."

Kain drew in a long breath and set his shoulders as she summed up the entire philosophical and moral dilemma which had plagued him for centuries in a small handful of words.

"A somewhat unnecessarily cruel assessment, but I can not argue with you." He knew what he had to ask now. He had put off asking for as long as he possibly could but now there was no escaping it. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

The question hung in the air between them as they looked at one another and it was clear, as their eyes met, that each of them was replaying that moment from centuries ago…where they had met on the wharves of Meridian for what each of them had thought to be the last time.

"Do you actually want forgiveness, Kain?" Umah asked then, frowning and her voice an accusatory whisper. "Because I don't think you do. I think your only relief in this comes from you proving me wrong, from making sure everything I accused you of null and void. You seem to have given orders specifically toward that end."

That was entirely correct and he had only himself to blame for making it obvious, he realised right then and there. Ordering the Cabal to these islands in exile instead of having them destroyed, ensuring that his empire was to be a haven for Vampires; all had been done with her voice whispering in the back of his head. Sternly he had done everything he physically could to ensure that her words could never be right. It had helped soothe his mind in the quiet moments when he was alone.

"What I did to you was…wrong." He said it quickly, although that last word took some considerable effort. Despite that being how he actually felt, the ancient levels of pride that came with being an Emperor made his skin crawl to say it.

"...I am sorry, could you repeat that?" Umah asked then, taking on a sudden overly sweet, reasonable tone of voice; leaning in toward him as if she could feel just how much resolve it was taking.

"I said, it was wrong." This time he emphasised each word, before taking another breath to control himself "You stole the stone for the right reasons. You were no traitor. But all I could see was my need to set an example to those over whom I sought to rule. I took your life…" He trailed off. "I took your life and I had no right to do that."

She regarded him with searching eyes, conflicting emotions clear behind them. WIth pursed lips she took her turn to look him up and down, as if really taking stock of how different the man before her was compared to what she had known.

"My my, you have indeed changed. The Kain I remember, who embraced the Vampire's predatory nature, would never have said that." She said softly. Now it was his turn to ask something.

"Tell me Umah…you have within you the memories and experiences of Ashar. You are just as much him as he is you. Is his influence colouring your reaction here?" He had expected her to be more vengeful about it all. She opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated, frowning. She raised a talon to her lips as she seemed to look deep within herself for a tense moment.

"I... simply do not know the answer to that, Kain." She finally admitted. "The line where his personality ends and mine begins is so blurred I suspect it no longer exists at all. I remember two lifetimes, both Vampire and Hylden and they interlock in my mind despite the paradox that implies. We are one."

The Emperor of Nosgoth finally managed to put a smile on his grim face at that.

"Then perhaps both of us have changed." He observed. She turned to look up at him again, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, if you are not the man who killed me and I am not the woman you murdered…." Umah began, raising both hands. "...what's there to forgive exactly?"

The sheer naive simplicity of that viewpoint was staggering and he stared at her incredulously for how anyone could even conceive of it. She grinned then showing off her fangs and gave him a playful push.

"Besides, I told you already. I'm not looking to simply forgive anyone! I spent too long tossed about in the tempest within the Nexus Stone for that!" She tapped the artefact hanging around her neck for emphasis, sounding aggrieved and then leaned in until she was almost in his face. "No, what I want from you is compensation! When this is all said and done, you intend to rebuild your empire, do you not?"

Kain leaned back a little bit as she was right in his personal space.

"In some fashion, I would imagine." He said, quite sure he knew where she was going with this and half smiling. "It would be very different from what came before though. Too much has changed for me to simply recreate what came before."

She nodded in agreement.

"Good. Because I have some ideas about governing I wish to put into practice." With that she undercut his expectations and left him staring at her with a confused, wide eyed almost idiotic look.

"Pardon?" He asked, dumly.

"I am to be your queen so I expect a full and equal role in the decision making regarding policy, both foreign and domestic for the Empire." Umah went on, speaking as if what she was saying was only the most logical thing in the world. Kain just stared at her in something approaching shock.

"Now wait just one…" He started but she cut him off.

"To begin with there will have to be drastic changes to the treatment of Humans to give them certain protections under the law." She tapped his chest with a talon. "We can not have them herded as cattle anymore, all it does is provoke rebellion after rebellion and it's counterproductive long term. In addition, we will need to open negotiations with the Hylden to establish a diplomatic dialogue and lessen the ancient tension between our two races."

"I…"

"Also we might want to give some thought to voting…"

The word 'voting' echoed through the mind of Kain, the imperial ruler of Nosgoth, like the bell of doom.

"Now that's going entirely too far!" He declared, throwing both arms up and out. Umah just smiled at him like a viper.

"Come now Kain, if you succeed and retake your place as Balance Guardian you'll be far too busy with that responsibility to govern an Empire by edict as you used to." She said pleasantly.

-0-

"The fact she was right was perhaps the most painful thing of all."

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He glared down at her with annoyance, but no rebuttals came immediately to mind. Umah met his gaze with an infuriating smugness.

"I have the benefit of experience from both myself and Ashar…two unique perspectives on society, from the top down and the bottom up." She told him "I could help you build a stable, productive, strong and stable Empire that functions well enough to where it runs itself." Her eyes brightened in sudden inspiration."In fact, let me just fetch a parchment and I'll begin writing up the Imperial constitution at once!"

Swiftly Kain reached out, put his arms about her and drew her against his chest. Umah tensed in surprise as she suddenly found herself there and her eyes widened as she looked up at him. He looked down at her, his face serious despite the embrace.

"You're presuming we're going to win." He told her in a stern voice, almost like he was talking to a child. She returned the look cooly.

"Are you presuming we are going to fail?"

"I am not presuming anything."

WIth a sigh she placed both hands on his chest and shook her head.

"I have to think of the future while I can, Kain. This body is mortal. It will not last forever." She told him. He had known of this, this strange quirk of this new body of hers that despite all its gifts it was still ephemeral. But this confused him and begged the question;

"Why have you not taken the Dark Gift again then?"

"Because I think the time of the Dark gift is coming to an end." At his confused expression for this statement Umah just sighed. "Don't ask me what I am basing that on. It is simply a feeling I have. I can not explain it."

Silence endured between them for another few moments and Kain let this sit. The end of the Dark Gift? He had no idea what would cause such a thing or even if such an event would even be possible, but he supposed if something had a beginning it also had an end. Not that he personally would welcome such an event coming to pass. He enjoyed the benefits it brought to him, especially immortality.

"Does Vorador share this feeling?" He asked. Umah tutted in a dismissive sound and pushed her way out of his embrace.

"He heard me out about it but I don't know if he agreed." She said and Kain managed a smile.

"Then I should probably go see him." When she looked back at him, he added. "Isn't it tradition to speak to the father to attain his permission to take his daughter's hand in marriage?"

She blinked at this and then burst out laughing, one hand raised to her mouth as if unable to stop.

"Yes, though make no mistake!" She chuckled, pointing at him. "It's me taking your hand rather than you taking mine!" With her dark eyes glittering once more like stars, Umah told him; "If you want to find my father…you will have to journey to the east. He has taken many of my Cabal brethren back….back to their first home."